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Simon Russell Beale: Biography, Facts and Career

Who is Simon Russell Beale? An evergreen, sourced profile: biography, key facts and career.

By the Pop Culture Files editorial team4 min read✓ Fact-checked
Simon Russell Beale
Steve Bowbrick from Radlett, United Kingdom via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Sir Simon Russell Beale (born 12 January 1961) is an English actor. Once described by The Independent as "the greatest stage actor of his generation", he has received various accolades, including a Tony Award, three Laurence Olivier Awards, and two British Academy Television Awards. For his services to drama, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019. Beale started his acting career at the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. He has received ten Olivier Award nominations, winning three awards for his performances in Volpone (1996), Candide (2000), and Uncle Vanya (2003). For his work on the Broadway stage he has received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination for his performance as George in the Tom Stoppard play Jumpers in 2004. For his role as Henry Lehman in The Lehman Trilogy, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor. Beale made his film debut in Sally Potter's period drama Orlando (1992). He gained prominence for his roles in Persuasion (1995), Hamlet (1996), My Week with Marilyn (2011), The Deep Blue Sea (2011), Mary Queen of Scots (2018), Benediction (2021), and The Outfit (2022). In 2017, he portrayed Lavrentiy Beria in Armando Iannucci's The Death of Stalin, for which he received the British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. Beale has also appeared in the television projects The Young Visiters (2003), Dunkirk (2004), and Vanity Fair (2018). He earned two British Academy Television Awards: one for Best Actor for A Dance to the Music of Time (1998), and the other for Best Supporting Actor for Henry IV, Part I and Part II (2012). From 2014 to 2016, he was part of the main cast of Showtime's Penny Dreadful, and since 2024 in House of the Dragon.

Quick facts about Simon Russell Beale

  • Full name: Simon Russell Beale
  • Born: 1961-01-12
  • Nationality: United Kingdom
  • Known as: Musician
  • Wikidata ID: Q971782

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Simon Russell Beale?

Sir Simon Russell Beale (born 12 January 1961) is an English actor.

What nationality is Simon Russell Beale?

Simon Russell Beale is United Kingdom.

When was Simon Russell Beale born?

Simon Russell Beale was born on 1961-01-12.

Sources

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